# Rule-Based Controller — MATLAB Implementation

> **Markdown report of a non-markdown source file.**
>
> | | |
> |---|---|
> | **Source** | `Shift Matlab Drive/Shift Matlab Drive/controller-claude.m` |
> | **Format** | MATLAB, 92 lines, 7,388 B |
> | **MD5** | `745f573a203238a32cbcd5b1a3d6ecc7` |
> | **Status** | **Draft — does not run.** See [Blocking defects](#blocking-defects) |
> | **Report generated** | 2026-07-25 |

## What it is

The MATLAB implementation of the priority-cascade dispatch policy specified in
[Rule-Based Controller](../02-specifications/rule-based-controller.md). Written as the body of
a Simulink **MATLAB Function block** — the signature is `function [...] = fcn(...)`, and `fcn`
is Simulink's default block function name.

```matlab
function [P_load_P, P_load_PB, P_battery_cont, P_load_PBH, P_FuelCell_cont, P_Electro_cont] = ...
    fcn(Current_A, P_load, P_PV, E_battery_SOC, P_battery_max, E_battery_max, ...
        E_H2_SOC, P_FuelCell_max, E_H2_max)
```

It resolves load in a fixed merit order, exactly as the specification describes:

| Stage | Lines | Behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| 1. PV direct | 8 | `P_load_P = P_load - P_PV` — residual after solar |
| 2. Battery | 11–36 | Residual > 0 → discharge (capped by `P_battery_max` or remaining SOC); residual < 0 → charge (capped by max power or remaining headroom) |
| 3. Hydrogen | 39–64 | Same two-sided pattern — fuel cell discharges the tank, electrolyser charges it |
| 4. Grid | 67–72 | Whatever remains is bought or sold |

> [!WARNING]
> **This file does not run.** It has hard undefined-variable errors and cannot compile as a
> Simulink MATLAB Function block. It is an explicitly-marked work in progress — the author's
> own notes at lines 74–79 say as much. The defect list below is documentation of a known
> draft, not a code review of something anyone claimed was finished.

## Blocking defects

**B1 — undefined `Electro_max` (line 54).**

```matlab
P_Electro_cont = -Electro_max     % The ELECTROLYZER charges at it's maximum power allowed
```

`Electro_max` exists nowhere. Intended `P_Electro_max` — missing the `P_` prefix.

**B2 — `P_Electro_max` is never defined either (lines 52, 53, 54).**

The signature declares nine inputs; `P_Electro_max` is not among them and is never assigned in
the body. Even after fixing B1, the reference is still undefined. **The entire electrolyser
branch (lines 51–63) is dead.** The function signature needs a tenth input.

**B3 — outputs not assigned on all paths.**

A Simulink MATLAB Function block requires every declared output to be assigned on every path.

| Output | Unassigned when |
|---|---|
| `P_FuelCell_cont` / `P_Electro_cont` | Mutually exclusive — the `if` at line 39 assigns only the first, the `else` at 51 only the second. Both are declared outputs |
| `P_load_PB` | Never assigned on the path through lines 20–21 (battery too empty to discharge at max) |
| `P_load_PBH` | Never assigned on the path through lines 48–49 (tank too empty) |

Consequently line 39 can read an unassigned `P_load_PB`, and line 67 an unassigned
`P_load_PBH`.

## Logic defects — silently wrong results

**B4 — wrong right-hand side (line 43).**

```matlab
P_FuelCell_cont = P_load_PBH;
```

The battery analogue it was copied from (line 15) is `P_battery_cont = P_load_P;` — the
*incoming* residual. Here `P_load_PBH` is, under the guard at line 42 (`P_load_PBH < 0`), the
**negative overshoot**. It should read `P_FuelCell_cont = P_load_PB;`. As written the fuel cell
is commanded to a negative power — to consume — exactly when it is supposed to supply.

**B5 — sign convention inverted (lines 33 and 61).**

The stated convention (line 29) is *"negative `P_battery_cont` is battery charging, positive is
discharging"*. Line 26 respects it (`-P_battery_max`). But in the same charging branch:

```matlab
33:  P_battery_cont = E_battery_max - E_battery_SOC;   % headroom — POSITIVE
61:  P_Electro_cont = E_H2_max - E_H2_SOC;             % headroom — POSITIVE
```

Both assign **positive** values while on the charging path. Storage will be commanded to
discharge when it should charge.

**B6 — energy and power conflated throughout.**

Energy variables (`E_*`, kWh) are compared against and assigned to power variables (`P_*`, kW)
with no timestep factor:

| Line | Expression | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | `if E_battery_SOC > P_battery_max` | kWh compared to kW |
| 21 | `P_battery_cont = E_battery_SOC;` | kWh assigned to a kW command |
| 40 | `if E_H2_SOC > P_FuelCell_max` | kWh compared to kW |
| 49 | `P_FuelCell_cont = E_H2_SOC;` | kWh assigned to a kW command |
| 24, 33, 52, 61 | headroom expressions | same |

The author flags this at lines 78–79:

> `%IMPLEMENT THE ARRAY-SCANNING FOR-LOOP AND MAKE SURE THE Power = Energy`
> `%Equations make sense????`

The arithmetic is only correct if the timestep is exactly 1 h *and* units are consistent —
neither is enforced anywhere. This is the same `dt` question the
[Simulator I/O Interface](../02-specifications/simulator-io-interface.md#timestep) leaves open.

**B7 — load sign clashes with `Constants.m`.**

```matlab
if P_load < 0
    P_load = 0;
end
```

`Constants.m` defines `E_HospitalLoad = -1000000; %kWh` — hospital load is stored **negative**.
If that convention feeds `P_load`, this guard zeroes out the entire hospital demand and the
controller does nothing.

## Console output

**B8/B9 — two assignments missing a terminating semicolon**: line 26
(`P_battery_cont = -P_battery_max`) and line 54 (`P_Electro_cont = -Electro_max`). Both echo to
the console on every hit, every timestep. An automated scan found exactly these two.

**B10 — unconditional `disp` every timestep** (lines 67–72):

```matlab
if P_load_PBH > 0
    disp('buy')
else
    disp('sell')
end
disp(P_load_PBH)
```

Beyond the spam, `disp` is an extrinsic function in a Simulink MATLAB Function block —
unsupported for code generation. It will either force interpreted execution or fail the build.

## Incomplete sections

**I1 — grid exchange is never returned.** Lines 67–72 determine buy vs. sell but only *print*
it. There is no output argument for grid power. The author's note at lines 74–76:

> `%Doublecheck these and repeat the logic for the hydrogen, finally`
> `%selling/buying the rest from the grid. Make sure the discharging is at the`
> `%tank level and charging at hydrogen level`

**I2 — the time-series loop was never implemented** (lines 78–79, quoted above).

**I3 — dead commented-out hydrogen integrator (lines 83–89):**

```matlab
%for t = 1:24                                     %Check if this makes sense
%    H2_stor(end)   = H2_stor(end)*(1-H2_leak);
%    H2_stor(end+1) = H2_stor(end)+H2_vol(t);
%    H2_Flow_L_min(t) = (-P_H2(t)/E_H2_vol_h(t))*(1000/60);
%end
%E_H2_stor = H2_stor*E_H2_vol_h;
```

Uncommenting it would still fail. `H2_stor`, `H2_vol` and `P_H2` are undefined anywhere in the
repository. `H2_leak` and `E_H2_vol_h` do exist — but **only in the complete `Constants.m`**,
not the stale top-level copy (see
[Simulink Model Inventory](simulink-model-inventory.md#constantsm--the-top-level-copy-is-stale)).
And line 86 indexes `E_H2_vol_h(t)` as an array when it is the scalar `3000` — out of bounds
for any `t > 1`.

## Other observations

| # | Observation |
|---|---|
| Q1 | Input `Current_A` is declared but **never used** in the 92-line body — a dead parameter |
| Q2 | **The filename is not a legal MATLAB function file.** `controller-claude.m` contains a hyphen; MATLAB identifiers cannot. It can never be called as `controller-claude(...)`. It only works pasted into a Simulink MATLAB Function block — consistent with the function being named `fcn` |
| Q3 | It is the **only file at the `Shift Matlab Drive/Shift Matlab Drive/` root**, outside `Simulations/` entirely, and is not attached to any model in the repository |
| Q4 | The hydrogen block is a verbatim copy of the battery block with incomplete renaming. Lines 45–46 sit in the *fuel cell* branch but say "max **battery** power"; line 57 references `P_battery_cont` inside the *electrolyser* branch; line 61's comment says "**Battery** charges only as much as there is space left" while assigning `P_Electro_cont`. **This is how B4 and B5 arose** |
| Q5 | Comment typos: `dirrectly` (7), `to empty` for "too empty" (20, 48), `ELETROLYZER` (52), `SOTRAGE` (60) |

## Fixing it

In rough dependency order:

1. Add `P_Electro_max` as a tenth input; fix the `Electro_max` typo (B1, B2).
2. Assign every output on every path — initialise all six to `0` at the top (B3).
3. Fix line 43 to `P_FuelCell_cont = P_load_PB;` (B4).
4. Negate lines 33 and 61 (B5).
5. Decide the timestep and make every `E_*`/`P_*` conversion explicit (B6).
6. Settle the load sign convention against `Constants.m` (B7).
7. Add a grid-power output; delete the `disp` calls (I1, B10).
8. Rename the file to a legal MATLAB identifier, e.g. `rule_based_controller.m`, and move it
   next to the model it drives.

Steps 5 and 6 are the ones that need a decision rather than an edit — they are the same
open questions the
[Simulator I/O Interface](../02-specifications/simulator-io-interface.md#5-open-questions)
raises.

## Related

- [Rule-Based Controller](../02-specifications/rule-based-controller.md) — the specification this implements
- [Simulator I/O Interface](../02-specifications/simulator-io-interface.md) — the contract, including sign conventions and the `dt` question
- [Simulink Model Inventory](simulink-model-inventory.md) — the `Constants.m` staleness this depends on
- [RL Action Variables](../02-specifications/rl-action-variables.md) — what an RL policy would emit instead